Towel Drills Back in 2009!

Love the Cubs? Have an opinion? Want to express it in a forum read by dozens of Cubs fans on a bi-annual basis?
Then we're looking for you.

Hate getting paid to do stuff? Live in your parent's basement? Think you know more than everyone else, so much so that you create your own forum to prove it? Then we're also looking for you.

Towel Drills started last year as a way for a few friends to share their Cubs rants with even more friends. Somewhere along the line, you, Cubs Fan, started paying attention. Before long, Towel Drills was bigger than Jebus. And now we're asking for your help to continue to grow TD into the Blogawesomeosphere.

TD is looking to take on a few additional writers for the upcoming season. We need people who can commit to posting on a regular basis and who have access to post throughout the day. We're specifically seeking at least one "news man" who can post breaking Cubs news the segundo it drops. Freedom to also write about what interests you in relation to the Cubs we can offer. Any other form of payment, monetary, seshual, or other, we cannot (but only b/c the seshual thing is illegal).

If you're interested in trying your hand at blogging, hit us up at toweldrills@gmail.com. How you "apply" is up to you. Send us some writing, some ideas, an 8x10 glossy of Ronnie Woo Woo (please, don't), send bags of cash (please, do)-your call. We're looking forward to adding some talent to the staff and to continue making TD the best gosh darn TD it can be!

RECENT POSTS

While most of the focus is on the playoff roster, the Cubs quietly made a move that effects their 40 man roster, claiming Brad Snyder off waivers from the Indians and DFA'ing Adam Harben. Snyder is a 26 year old left-hand hitting OF who spent the season at Buffalo, the AAA affiliate of the Indians. While playing left and center, he hit .246 with 13 HR's and 7 stolen bases, but he also struck out 123 times in 411 AB's. He was the 18th overall pick in the 2003 draft and at the time was ranked as the 3rd best 5 tool talent in the draft. In 2006, he was the Indians 3rd best prospect according to Baseball America (ahead of guys like Fausto Carmona and Ryan Garko). In '07, he dropped to 8th. And while he was no longer in the Indians top ten this past year, he was still considered the best athlete in the organization and the best outfielder, both defensively and based on arm strength.

So why would the Cubs make this move? Looking at their 40 man roster, as well as their OF prospects, it's easy to see why. In terms of OF's, the 40 man consists of Soriano, Edmonds, Pie, Johnson, Fukudome, and Sam Fuld. Tyler Colvin is the only real prospect in the Cubs system that is an OF and worthy of a spot on the 40 man roster. If Johnson and Edmonds are gone after this year, the Cubs only have 4 OF's. Granted, who knows what will happen in terms of FA's and trades, but adding Snyder gives the Cubs some more depth.

Conversly, the fact that Adam Harben was DFA'd isn't a major surprise. Harben was acquired by the Cubs in the trade for Phil Nevin in late 2006. He underwent Tommy John surgery later that fall and was out all of last year. The Cubs added him to the 40 man roster last November to protect him, but a 3-6 record with a 5.37 ERA didn't really need to be protected. If he goes unclaimed in the next ten days, he will be outrighted (if the Cubs so choose) to the minors and be off the 40 man roster.